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2013 Mini Paceman Keeps The Pace: Mini fills in a hole the market didn't even know it had

November 8, 2012

The Paceman arrives in March, the seventh Mini model made. Photo by Mini

What Is It? In marketingese the Mini Paceman is, “The first Sports Activity Coupe in the premium compact segment.” If a Mini Cooper Hardtop is too small and a Countryman is too big and lacks the style you want, the Paceman may fill your bill, Mini hopes. For those of you keeping score at home, it's the seventh Mini model made. It shares a platform with the Countryman but comes with two doors instead of four, a slopey new roof, almost a half inch lower ride height and it's 22 pounds lighter. So it's a sportier Countryman, a Countryman Coupe, if you will, available with Mini's ALL4 all wheel-drive.

U.S. versions arrive in March with your choice of 122-hp Cooper or 184-hp Cooper S engines. The European market gets two diesel engines that we won't get but we will eventually get a John Cooper Works version of the Paceman. Expect more details on that at the LA auto show.

A six-speed manual is the standard transmission while a six-speed automatic is optional.

How Does It Drive? As Mini models multiply, getting larger and more utilitarian, they also seem to stray further from the performance of the original (new) Mini we remember driving just a few/several years ago. As large as it is, the Paceman is not nearly as nimble and responsive as its progenitor, which you wouldn't expect it to be, you're trading off performance for practicality here. The electric power steering in our front wheel-drive six-speed manual test car was not quite as crisp and the brakes felt a little dead between initial touch of the brake pedal and the point at which they started slowing the car down. Some have complained about clutch engagement and takeup on the Countryman, enough that Mini has changed the compound of the surface material in the clutches starting in November. We didn't have any trouble with the clutch engagement or takeup in our Paceman during our half-day drive around twisty mountain two-lanes.

Do I Want It? We couldn't help seeing this as the X6/Crosstour/1973 VW Fastback of the Mini line. Is it the answer to the question no one asked? You get most of the increased interior room of a Countryman but without the convenience of the Countryman's four doors. Style is something you can't define but you know it when you see it. If you were looking for a more practical Mini that offers up a bit more stylish geometry with 4wd as an option, this could be your ride. It arrives in dealerships March 2013. Pricing and a few other details will be announced at the LA auto show, but expect it to cost around $30,000.

2013 Mini Paceman

On Sale: March 2013

Base Price: Around $30,000 or so.

Drivetrain: 122-hp, 118 lb ft, 1.6-liter I4; fwd, six-speed automatic

Curb Weight: 2767 pounds DIN

0-62 mph: 10.4 sec (mfg.)

Fuel Efficiency: 39.2 mpg (EU cycle)

Mark Vaughn
- After slumming in Europe five years covering F1 etc. Mark Vaughn interviewed with Autoweek at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show has been with us ever since because no one else will take him. Anyone?
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